


Academic Curiosity

by Bouzingo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Gen, Jewish Character, POV Hermione Granger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3455156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bouzingo/pseuds/Bouzingo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>History of Magic is actually one of Hermione's very favourite courses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Academic Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [batyatoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/batyatoon/gifts).



[](http://s795.photobucket.com/user/Canadian_Drama_Geek/media/2014-12-20%2016.18.12.jpg.html)

 

History of Magic is actually one of Hermione’s very favourite courses. While Ron and Harry catch up on classes that they’ve deemed important, or else catch up on their sleep, Hermione tries to listen closely to Professor Binns, which is admittedly a mostly thankless task. However, he references ten or twenty books in any given lesson, and books have always been the most compelling professor.

 

There are many books that were made for pure academic curiosity, books with rarefied titles like ‘The Wizard, 16th Century Charms, and the Shakespearean Stage,’ or ‘Muggle Cold War Paranoia from the Russian Witch’s Perspective.’ And there’s a little shelf tucked away in the slight cultural studies section that Hermione loves, and sits by on the rare days when she has a moment to read for her own pleasure.

 

Helga Hufflepuff was Jewish. So were Cassandra Vablatsky and Bridget Wenlock. Professor Binns never mentions that in any of his lectures; Hermione feels like that is absolutely something he should mention, especially in a school that takes Christmas and Easter off but barely acknowledges Pesach or Purim. There are only a few books here about Judaism and how it goes with the wizarding world, but Hermione reads them from cover to cover and then borrows them, renewing them endlessly.

 

Hermione loves these books; they give her the courage to keep on saying her prayers and keep her mitzvahs. She loves the people in the books, and wishes she could meet them with the same breath of thanks that she doesn’t see them walking with the rest of the ghosts in the school halls. Luckily, she has other friends, others who light candles, others she can speak to about those experiences that are singular to them. Ron and Harry don’t always understand, but there are some things that they can’t understand, or just take for granted. But they always try, and they care for her so much that they try more than most.


End file.
